CWE-708: Incorrect Ownership Assignment

What is Incorrect Ownership Assignment?

• Overview: CWE-708, Incorrect Ownership Assignment, occurs when a software product assigns a resource owner who is outside the intended control sphere, allowing unintended manipulation of the resource.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by manipulating resource ownership to gain unauthorized access or control.
• Common attack patterns include privilege escalation and unauthorized resource modification.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences include unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion.
• Potential cascading effects involve compromised system integrity and trust.
• Business impact can include data breaches, loss of customer trust, and legal repercussions.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Specific code-level fixes include validating ownership assignments and ensuring they remain within the control sphere.
• Security best practices involve implementing strict access controls and regularly auditing ownership assignments.
• Recommended tools and frameworks include using security libraries that enforce ownership policies and employing automated security testing tools.

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Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not Language-Specific

Affected Technologies: Not specified

Vulnerable Code Example

Certainly! Let's improve the code examples for CWE-708 (Incorrect Ownership Assignment) by addressing the highlighted issues and enhancing clarity and security practices.

class FileResource:
    def __init__(self, file_name, owner):
        self.file_name = file_name
        self.owner = owner  # Vulnerable: Owner is assigned without validation

def assign_owner(file_resource, new_owner):
    # Incorrectly assigns a new owner without any validation
    file_resource.owner = new_owner
    print(f"Owner of {file_resource.file_name} changed to {file_resource.owner}")

# Example usage
file_resource = FileResource("important_data.txt", "admin")
assign_owner(file_resource, "guest")  # Vulnerability: a guest can become the owner

Explanation:

• Vulnerability: The code allows any user to become the owner of a resource without checking if they have the necessary permissions. This can lead to unauthorized access and control over the resource.
• Problem: There's no mechanism to verify if the new owner is authorized, leading to potential security breaches.

How to fix Incorrect Ownership Assignment?

To address this issue, we need to implement a system that verifies whether a user has the right to be assigned as the owner of a resource. This can be achieved by maintaining a list of authorized users or roles that can own the resource.

Fixed Code Example

class FileResource:
    def __init__(self, file_name, owner, valid_owners):
        self.file_name = file_name
        self.owner = owner
        self.valid_owners = valid_owners  # List of users authorized to own the resource

def assign_owner(file_resource, new_owner):
    # Validate if the new owner is in the list of valid owners
    if new_owner in file_resource.valid_owners:
        file_resource.owner = new_owner
        print(f"Owner of {file_resource.file_name} changed to {file_resource.owner}")
    else:
        print(f"Error: {new_owner} is not authorized to own {file_resource.file_name}")

# Example usage
file_resource = FileResource("important_data.txt", "admin", ["admin", "manager"])
assign_owner(file_resource, "guest")  # Fixed: Validation prevents unauthorized ownership assignment

Key Changes:

• Authorization List: Introduced a valid_owners attribute in the FileResource class to store a list of users authorized to own the resource.
• Validation: Implemented a check in the assign_owner function to ensure the new owner is included in the valid_owners list.
• Feedback: Provided clear feedback when an unauthorized ownership change is attempted, enhancing user awareness and security.

By incorporating these changes, the code now effectively prevents unauthorized users from being assigned as the owner of a resource, thereby mitigating the risk associated with incorrect ownership assignment.